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Ukraine stops buying Russian gas, closes airspace
MOSCOW
(AP) — Tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated Wednesday as
Ukraine decided to stop buying Russian natural gas — hoping to rely on
supplies from other countries — and closed its airspace to its eastern
neighbor.
Associated Press
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Ukraine stops buying Russian gas, closes airspace
By NATALIYA VASILYEVA
November 25, 2015 4:30 PM
Russia's
annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 and its support for
separatist rebels in the east has brought relations between the two
countries to a post-Soviet low. Ukraine has since been trying to cut its
dependence on Russian gas.
Russia's state-controlled gas company,
Gazprom, said Wednesday that it stopped sending gas to Ukraine on
Wednesday morning and will supply no more because Ukraine has not paid
in advance for more deliveries.
Ukraine
said it was its own decision to stop buying gas from Russia after it
was offered better prices from other European countries. Those other
countries import gas from Russia but can pipe it back to Ukraine.
The
stoppage comes less than two months after the two countries signed an
EU-brokered deal ensuring supplies through March. Under the deal, Russia
lowered the price it charged Ukraine to the same level granted to
neighboring countries, from $251 per 1,000 cubic meters to about $230.
Gazprom
CEO Alexei Miller on Wednesday warned Ukraine and Europe of possible
gas disruptions following the cut-off. Russia uses Ukraine's pipelines
to transport a part of its gas deliveries to other European countries.
Ukraine's
"refusal to buy Russian gas threatens a safe gas transit to Europe
through Ukraine and gas supplies to Ukraine consumers in the coming
winter," Miller said.
The
Gazprom chief said Ukraine had been buying up gas to store for the
coming winter in the past two months but claimed it was not enough to
get it through the winter.
On
the other hand, the EU's executive arm, the European Commission which
has been mediating the gas row between the sides, noted that Ukraine's
gas reserves are well stocked and that the mild recent weather means
that consumption has been below average.
"We
are not particularly concerned about the gas flows from Russia to
Ukraine at the moment," said Commission spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen.
Past
gas disputes between Russia and Ukraine have led to cutoffs. One
standoff in 2009 caused serious disruptions in shipments EU countries in
the dead of winter.
Temperatures in Ukraine, where most homes rely on gas for central heating, were below freezing Wednesday morning.
Ukrainian
Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk also announced that his government has
decided to close the country's airspace to all Russian planes as "an
issue of the national security as well as a response to Russia's
aggressive actions.'
Ukraine
last month banned all Russian airlines from flying into Ukraine but
Russian planes have been allowed to fly over its territory.
___
Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this
end quote from:
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